Wainwright memorial walk

A group of actuaries led (from the front) by the master of the Worshipful Company of Actuaries, Chris Ide, set out in September to follow Alfred Wainwright’s footsteps (see right) and complete the Wainwright memorial walk. The object was to have an enjoyable walking holiday and at the same time to raise money for the company’s charitable trust, to support three charities in their work with young people: the Children’s Society, Shelter, and the Scouts Association. The walk took nine days, covered 115 miles, took in 55 fells, and involved a total height gain of 37,688 feet (a good deal more than Everest). The principal walking groups were chosen based on their speed: Allegro and Andante. We were joined on alternate days by two of our spouses, and at various times by other walkers. At the weekend in the middle there were over 30 walkers and five groups out on the hills. Some of us had hard times, such as vertigo on Blencathra, where the two teams met up to pose with our charities’ symbols on the only blunt part of a very sharp edge (see front cover). And we had a 12-hour struggle from Buttermere to Wasdale Head, arriving at nightfall to a welcoming and worried party of wives and friends who had already alerted the mountain rescue team. Mobile phones don’t work in most of Lakeland, and it was always interesting to pick up the previous night’s texts of progress reports or worried queries, once we reached some major peak the following day. We also had many exhilarating times and fabulous views. Perhaps the most stunning was the view from Sail out over the Solway Firth to Scotland, taking in, in the foreground, a wind farm and an oil rig. We were joined by friends for many days, and supported by a brilliant team who arranged hotels, shifted baggage, and worried for us when we came in late. Every one of the core team completed the whole programme, and, with the advantage of a few wrong turnings and deviations, succeeded in covering more than the target number of miles walked and feet climbed. However, senior members of court who joined us for the weekend achieved the most spectacular deviation. Amid the fog after Eel Crag two of the walkers decided to return to base, and the remainder to continue. With the benefit of two actuaries, two GPSs, and an IT specialist, the returning couple were sent west instead of south, and so unintentionally continued the planned walk, while the remainder proceeded north instead of east in entirely the wrong direction. The junior warden explained that he realised afterwards that his GPS was on the American grid. The clerk emeritus owned up to being slightly concerned when he saw the GPS screen indicating that the distance to the next waypoint was 8,000 miles. All the walkers are most grateful for the moral and financial support from our sponsors. We paid all our own expenses, so every penny of the sponsorship money received by the charitable trust goes to our three charities. At the time of writing, the total raised is over £28,000, including Gift Aid reclaims. You can still sponsor us at www.justgiving.com/actuaries. This tour is a most comprehensive one. Limited as we are by time, it is impossible to visit every corner of Lakeland, yet this programme, if followed conscientiously, will lead us everywhere worth mentioning. ‘It will be ARDUOUS, but the reward will be well worth the work. It will avoid the tourists, the roads, the picnic-spots. ‘It is the claim of this programme that EVERY lake, EVERY valley, EVERY mountain will be seen if not actually visited. A Wainwright, 1931 From The Wainwright Memorial Walk by A Wainwright, published by Frances Lincoln Ltd. Copyright The Estate of A Wainwright, 1993. Reproduced by permission of Frances Lincoln Ltd. Shelter One in every hundred children will wake up tomorrow in a place they can’t call home. Shelter has a blueprint to get things moving to tackle this problem. Money raised will go to the Educational Support Project in London that will run from 2007 to 2010. Shelter will: ? liaise with education and housing authorities to ensure that homeless children access appropriate school places; ? help parents get their children registered at, and back into, school sooner; ? support children and parents to deal with issues such as bullying, truancy and exclusion, and support learning and build self-esteem. It is planned that 450 children will benefit from educational support over three years, and that outcomes will include increased school attendance and improved educational achievement for homeless children. The Children’s Society The Children’s Society is a national charity committed to supporting children who have had their childhoods taken away. A network of 50 community projects helps over 50,000 children and their families each year. The Children’s Society works with children who are forced to run away from home or care, ensures that disabled children are protected, helps refugee children rebuild their lives, and supports children in trouble with the law. ? Every year 100,000 children under 16 in the UK run away from home or care. ? Many run away because of serious and longstanding problems within the family home. ? Almost half (44%) of young runaways who stay away for a week are physically or sexually hurt. Money raised will support the society’s work in this area. The Scouts’ Association Gilwell Park is the international training and activity centre for scouts and their leaders. The association shares these facilities with a wide range of young people and adult volunteers. Projects are organised for adventure challenges, teamwork and leadership, quite often in the context of a short residential stay. Many children and young people come from less privileged parts of inner London boroughs, from minority ethnic communities, and often come as a result of involvement in other projects (young offenders, social care, etc). Money raised will be used to acquire specific equipment to help expand the work of the scouts in this area.